COVID-19 PREVENTION MEASURES

Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. The disease was discovered in Wuhan city in China amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases. Covid-19 was declared a global health emergency on 30^th January 2020 by the world health organization (WHO). On 11^th march, WHO declared the disease a global pandemic, becoming its first such designation since declaring H1NI influenza a pandemic in 2009 (Cirrincione et al., 2020). For most individuals who get infected by the virus they suffer moderate of mild respiratory illness and they may not necessarily require specialized treatment. Conversely the virus may cause severe illness to some individual requiring them to seek medical attention. Individuals with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer or chronic respiratory disease and the elderly have a higher probability of developing severe illness. It is estimated that covid-19 has affected more than 219 million people globally and about 4.55 million people have died (Cirrincione et al., 2020). It is also worth noting that anyone can get infected with covid-19 become severely sick and die at any age. This assignment will discussed issues linked to the renewed focus on public health and the contribution of every individual in the society in covid-19 mitigation.

At the moment being having the correct information concerning the disease and how it is spread is the only best means of preventing and slowing down transmission. Some of the measures to curb the disease spread by WHO include wearing of properly fitted masks, maintaining social distance, avoiding touching contaminated surfaces and washing hands using an alcohol based detergent or soap. Wearing masks prevents a contact with expiratory droplets hence minimizing chances to the virus transmission. Maintaining social distance implies that a person should maintain 1-1.5 meters circumferential distance since expiratory droplets cannot travel far before reaching the ground and hence the infection risk is mitigated (Tsang et al. 2021). Apparently maintaining social distance in public place such as bus stop and malls which are normally crowded is impractical people should were masks or stay in open or well ventilated spaces. The organization has also recently advocated people to become vaccinated once their turn knocks and too continue adhering to local guidelines. How the mentioned measures will be coordinated to accomplish the desired results in fight against global menace question will be answered in the following section.

Conceivably the most significant motive from the global covid-19 response to date is to successfully slowing down the transmission rate and protecting health systems, by stimulating accurate diagnosis and effective isolation and care for all covid-19 cases whether mild or moderate. As covid-19 infections has globally advanced, the fundamental focus of all countries has been directed to rapid identification, contact tracing, testing and treatment of patients with severe covid-19 (Tsang et al. 2021). Countries must do every that is within their means to pervade cases from transforming into clusters and the clusters turning to explosive outbreaks. Government must enhance capacities of testing and diagnosis, quarantine and isolation. Everyone should be engaged in the response process. The expansion of large scale public health capacities should be treated as a matter of urgency. Collaborative surveys and knowledge have aided in answering critical questions concerning the costs and benefits of various approaches of response in different settings, the virus transmissibility, the clinical scope of the disease and its potential to abruptly overwhelm even the most strong health systems. Covid-19 has affected how things are done in various aspects of life and has also threatened livelihoods.  

The guiding principles of every nation should be speed, scale and equity. Speed, since the explosive nature of the virus means a day lost in implementing the required capacities and behaviors implies loss of lives. In the perspective of scale is because everyone in the society has contribution in building the capabilities necessary to curb the pandemic and lastly equity implying that we are all equal at the risk of the virus expose till when the virus is globally controlled. Covid-19 is absolutely a global crisis and the only means to overcome it is through global solidarity.  

The global strategic objectives that will facilitate speed, scale and equity principles comprise mobilization, control, suppression, reduction and development. Mobilization implies to bringing together all communities and sector and ensuring every government and society units contribute in response to pervade the virus spread through hygiene, personal social distancing and respiratory etiquette. Control refers to monitoring random cases and clusters and preventing community transmission quickly identifying and isolating all cases and availing to them the appropriate care and also quarantining and supporting all contacts (Killgore et al., 2020). In the perspective of suppression requires subduing community spread via appropriate context infection prevention initiatives, enhanced population level social distancing and also sanctioning proportionate and appropriate domestic and international travel restrictions. Reduction of mortality associated with covid-19 disease. This will be accomplished by provision of proper clinical care for those infected with the virus. Additionally, there should be guarantee of primary health and social services and protection of vulnerable populations and frontline workers. Medics and research institutes should gear their efforts in developing effective and safe vaccines deliverable at scale and convenient in regard to need.

To remain steadfast against covid-19 a collective responsibility towards a mutual cause is needed. Hence every person, every corporation (profit or non-profit), the government and all its agencies, every international organization and every global and regional governance unit efforts should be merged into collective initiative. The following section expounds how the mentioned entities can participate in the collective mission.

Individuals

Individuals must protect themselves by conforming to the new routines of washing hands, observing proper respiratory conduct, avoiding touching their face and any other parts having mucus membranes such as the mouth, social distancing, self-isolation at home or at a community facility, ascertaining themselves a contact of a proven case when necessary and restricting themselves from movement if need be.

Communities

Communities’ enhancement must be done to ensure that aid and services are coordinated and adapted according to their feedback and local settings. Sensitive activities like vulnerable groups protection, community education, contact tracing, supporting health workers and case finding can only be realized with the support of every segment of the affected communities.

Governments

The government must passively engage on spearheading and coordinating response activities empower and enable communities and individuals to have a sense of belonging towards the response through education, communication, capacity building, engagement and support. They must also make reforms and associate the public, private sector and community at large capabilities to minimize gaps in the public health system in attempt to enhance finding, testing, isolation and caring for already confirmed cases (both in a medical facility and at home), trace, identify and quarantine contacts (Killgore et al., 2020). Governments must also ensure to give relevant support needed by the health sector to treat covid-19 patients appropriately and sustain other essential social services for all other public members. If need be, governments can also introduce blanket physical distancing measures and restrictions in movement proportionate health associated risks facing the community.

Private companies

Private companies must guarantee the stability of essential services like public utilities, food chain and medical utilities manufacture. Private companies has the capacity to provide innovation and knowledge to scale and sustain the protection initiative, most significantly through producing and equitably distributing laboratory necessities such as personal protective equipment, diagnostics, medical oxygen, ventilators among others at rational prices. They can also engage in research and vaccines development.

Mobile banking

In today’s world of digitization, social distancing does not necessarily refer to interruption in the financial transactions. Digital financial services (DFS), encompassing mobile money have increasing gained momentum and acceptance by many individuals and corporations in the wake of covid-19 pandemic. According to IMF’s financial access survey (FAS), which receives data from 189 jurisdictions on financial access and use indicated that mobile money banking has significantly grew in many middle and low income economies (Espinosa-Vega et al. 2020). In some instances it has even exceeded the traditional banking services, especially in the low and middle economies where traditional banking penetration rate is low. It is not until the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic that mobile banking has come to be appreciated with multiple countries adopting measures to support services by mobile money and their potential gains and risks. These policy measures adopted by the government can be divided into three wide areas including- one reduction in transaction fees related to person-to-person (P2P), relaxation of balance and transaction limits and three easing of know your customer.

Under P2P transaction fee cut, multiple regulators and in some scenarios mobile money operators have decided to temporarily suspend transaction costs for various kinds of transactions immediately. In Kenya, for instance, the CBK suspended the regular 1-1.5 % fee charged on transfers below $10 M-PESA platform transfers, from 16^th march 2020 until the year ended (Espinosa-Vega et al. 2020). Similar measures have been evidenced in other states such as Liberia, whereby the central bank suspended all charges to users for transfer of money and also merchant transactions until the 1^st week of July 2020. The interim fees suspension are aimed at relieving individuals under the current economic crisis caused by the pandemic and also reducing the cost of mobile transactions. Additionally, 91% of the money circulating in the mobile money ecosystem is attributed to P2P transactions (Espinosa-Vega et al. 2020). Consequently, the fees charges on P2P transactions are essential source of revenue for mobile network operators as far as business continuity is of concern.

Mobile money regulators have typically impose different transaction in terms of (number and value) based on the mobile money account type limits in compliance with anti-money laundering (AML). To stimulate and encourage social physical distancing, some states have temporarily relaxed these limits. For instance, the bank of Zambia has raised the per-day transaction limit for their 1^st and 2^nd tier persons and also the small scale farmers and non-incorporated enterprises to $1100 (ZMW20, 000), $5400 (ZMW 100, 000) and $54, 000 (ZMW 1, 000, 000) correspondingly (Espinosa-Vega et al. 2020). All this efforts are made to reduce the number of individuals queuing at banks and other social services outlets to make payments. Business enterprises can pay salaries to their workers through mobile banking reliving them from attending to the bank to make withdrawals. Additionally individuals can order and pay for goods at their comfort and have them delivered timely to them courtesy of mobile banking. The objective of subsidized mobile banking is to avoid people crowding in social places and getting into contact with physical money since one mode of spreading covid-19 virus is by touching contaminated services hence making notes and coins t have extremely high potential of spreading the virus considering that money circulates to many people within a very short span of time.

Flexible KYC onboarding comprises of the capability of identifying clients and also gathering adequate information to ascertain the risk of the client engaging in illegal financial activities. These requirements relaxation during the pandemic is aimed at stimulating people to transfer money via mobile money services. For instance, for an initial period of 3 months after the pandemic onset, the bank of Ghana relaxed the KYC requirements bring more users on the mobile money ecosystem (Bisong et al., 2020). The relaxation led to minimal interruptions to financial transactions and encouraging stay at home recommendation.

Covid-19 is here to stay and people should eventually adopt ways to coexist with it. The virus has no age brackets and can infect anyone regardless of social status or age. However, young people who are more likely to infected and get well without knowing if they were infected should be extra cautious to protect the elderly and their loved ones. The media should also consider engaging in unpaid campaigns to disseminate information concerning the pandemic to the public due to its high coverage. The government should also allocate more resources in the health ministry to ensure steady supply of medical necessities in medical facilities. In general everyone should play part in curbing the virus spread if economic and social resilience is to be sustained.

References

Bisong, A., Ahairwe, P. E., & Njoroge, E. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on remittances for development in Africa. Maastricht: European Centre for Development Policy Management.

Cirrincione, L., Plescia, F., Ledda, C., Rapisarda, V., Martorana, D., Moldovan, R. E., & Cannizzaro, E. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: Prevention and protection measures to be adopted at the workplace. Sustainability, 12(9), 3603.

Espinosa-Vega, M. A., Shirono, M. K., Villanova, M. H. C., Chhabra, M., Das, M. B., & Fan, M. Y. (2020). Measuring Financial Access: 10 Years of the IMF Financial Access Survey. International Monetary Fund.

Killgore, W. D., Taylor, E. C., Cloonan, S. A., & Dailey, N. S. (2020). Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 lockdown. Psychiatry research, 291, 113216.

Tsang, H. F., Chan, L. W. C., Cho, W. C. S., Yu, A. C. S., Yim, A. K. Y., Chan, A. K. C., … & Wong, S. C. C. (2021). An update on COVID-19 pandemic: the epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment strategies. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 19(7), 877-888.